Rachel de Souza

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Rachel de Souza
Children's Commissioner for England
Assumed office
2021
Preceded byAnne Longfield
Succeeded byin office
Personal details
Born
Rachel Mary Kenny

1968
Lincolnshire
Nationality United Kingdom
EducationUniversity of London

Dame Rachel Mary de Souza DBE (née Kenny 1968 at Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire) is a British educationalist, and former headteacher.

The founding chief executive of the Inspiration Trust[1] she served in that role until March 2021, when she took up the post of Children's Commissioner for England.[2]

De Souza was appointed DBE in the 2014 New Year Honours "for services to education".[3]

Personal life[]

Born at Scunthorpe in 1968, Rachel Kenny was the middle child among three brothers; her father was a steelworker, her mother a refugee. She attended a local Catholic comprehensive school before graduating as BA in Philosophy and Theology from Heythrop College, University of London. Kenny then received a PGCE at King's College London before moving with her husband to Oxford, where she pursued further studies at Jesus College.[4]

Career[]

De Souza taught in Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire, later serving as deputy head at Denbigh High School, Luton.[5]

Her first headship was at Barnfield West Academy in Luton, before being appointed principal of Ormiston Victory Academy (Costessey, Norwich).[6]

In 2012, she co-founded the Inspiration Trust, a multi academy trust based in Norwich. The Trust opened with a single school in Great Yarmouth but has since grown to include 14 schools across Norfolk and Suffolk. The Trust includes sponsor academies, converter academies, and free schools, with age range from nursery to sixth form.[7][8]

In December 2020, the Second Johnson ministry nominated de Souza for the post of Children's Commissioner for England, the most powerful child protection post in the country.[9] Later that month, at a time when numerous Children's Commissioners, including those for Wales and Scotland, had already committed to banning corporal punishment against children, de Souza was criticised for failing to do so.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ Weale, Sally (8 December 2020). "Dame Rachel de Souza set to be next Children's Commissioner for England". theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Dame Rachel de Souza confirmed as new Children's Commissioner". gov.uk. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  3. ^ "New Year's Honours lists 2014 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Dame Rachel de Souza, CEO, Inspiration Trust". Schools Week. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Dame Rachel de Souza". Schools Week. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Rachel de Souza: 'We went to pupils' homes and got them out of bed'". The Independent. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  7. ^ "About us - History". www.inspirationtrust.org. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  8. ^ www.theguardian.com
  9. ^ "Dame Rachel de Souza set to be next children's commissioner for England". The Guardian. 8 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Next children's commissioner for England fails to back smacking ban". The Guardian. 15 December 2020.
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